Chest pressure and elevated pulse

Posted by Reina on May 23, 1999 at 12:12:20
I am a 33 year old female who had Strep Throat a little over a year ago.  After completing my prescribed antibiotic I began to experience heart palpitations, shortness of breath and a fast pulse.  I saw a cardiologist who gave me a ekg, ecg, chest x-ray, and I wore a heart monitor for approx. 4-5 days.  Everything turned up normal and symptoms seemed to subside.  
Lately, again I have begun to experience intermitent shallow breathing and a fast pulse, with no palpitations.  I once read an article that if you experience a viral illness such as strep and the antibiotic does not totally kill the infection, infection could settle in heart valves causing these types of symptoms.

Posted by CCF CARDIO MD - DLB on May 23, 1999 at 15:24:14
Dear Reina
Any infection can theoretically spread to the heart valves, though this is uncommon, unless the person is very sick or has a deformed heart valve to begin with. Another uncommon situation is a viral infection leading to a cardiomyopathy. However, if you are still not feeling well, you should be reevaluated by your doctor.
I hope this has been useful. I wish you the best of luck. Feel free to write back.
Information provided here is for general purposes only. Specific questions should be addressed to your own doctor. If you would like to make an appointment at the Cleveland Clinic Heart Center, please call 1-800-CCF-CARE or inquire online by using the Heart Center website at www.ccf.org/heartcenter. The Heart Center website contains a directory of the cardiology staff that can be used to select the physician best suited to address your cardiac problem.